It's about time

I come away from this year's elections with reserved excitement, if such a feeling exists. As of today, the Democrats have taken control of both the Senate and the House, which should make the final two years of W's presidency much better than the first six. My excitement, however, is mitigated by the type of Democrats who were elected. Perhaps by necessity, in states like North Carolina, Indiana, and Pennsylvania the DNCCC decided to put up many moderate if not conservative candidates. These candidates obviously lured away much of the independant and moderate Republican vote, which played a big role in their getting elected and thus the Democrats taking back control.

This basically leaves the most liberal of us a bit disappointed. The next Congress will have no chance addressing issues like same-sex marriage, abortion, and gun control. Many of the newly elected Democrats are gun-friendly, pro-chocie, and anti-gay marriage. Granted, the federal government can't do much about marriage rights, and abortion is in the hands of the court. I suppose it's time to accept that such progress can only come with time, much in the same way women's and black rights finally came to be realized. Hopefully this Congress can make progress in cleaning up Washington, providing health care for everyone, and fixing the mess in Iraq.

In the end, we should still be hopeful. This election has forced President Bush to realize his mistakes and work with Democrats in running the country. Hopefully both parties can reach some common ground. This is subject to the public, however. For so long, politicians have had to appeal to their most extreme members, and any voice of compromise runs the risk of political downfall. Hopefully people can get past their idealogies and see facts and reality, though I wouldn't hold my breath for many of the extreme religious right.

Looking ahead to 2008 (it's always about the next election), the Democratic leadership will have to make the most of this opportunity. They have been calling out the Republicans on many issues, but have yet to really vocalize many solutions. I'd classify the hold they have as tenuous at best, so if they can't fix the problems facing our nation, the White House and Congress will be up for grabs again.